


Shattered Trust (Rewrite)

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 12:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18810589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Daine awakens one day to find his world in ruins. Daine belongs to HellishSam.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HellishSam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellishSam/gifts).



Sometimes, Daine wondered if Ydris was really a bad guy. Linda had seemed to think so, back when she’d first learned about him. Especially after he’d given that five-leafed clover to Pi the witch. But Daine could excuse that now, because Pi had helped them so much and Evergray and Astor talked about witches a lot. Maybe Ydris had just seen something in Pi that nobody else had, even before the apple? And then there was the way Ydris treated humans as if they were nothing, little more than mayflies. Not that he was cruel to them, he just… didn’t seem to understand them. Finding out that he was Pandorian had explained that, though. Unless being Pandorian meant being bad… but Daine tried not to think on that last one too much. Because if being Pandorian meant being bad, then…

He’d voiced this concern to Ydris, once, not long after he’d accidentally slipped up and revealed his true form to the man who meant so much to him.

“Does me being Pandorian make me… bad?” Daine had asked, shaking at the very idea of it.

“Why would you think that?” Ydris had asked, looking genuinely concerned.

“I dunno,” Daine had said, running his fingers through his hair. “Just… the druids make Pandoria sound like it’s such a bad place. Shadow Seekers come from there, and then there’s Evergray and what Pandoria did to some of my friends…”

“No,” Ydris had said, taking Daine’s shaking hands in his own. “Just because that land hurts humans, it does not mean that it is inherently bad. Water can hurt humans, but does that make fish and other sea creatures bad? Prolonged exposure to sunlight is bad for humans, but does that make the sun bad?”

“No,” Daine had said. “But I’m just scared, I guess. What if they call me a monster?”

“Perhaps it is best to hold off on telling them for now,” Ydris had said. “Wait until you feel more confident in it. They never need to know what you are, what I am.”

“You’re right,” Daine had said, feeling himself relax minutely at Ydris’ reassuring words. “I won’t tell them yet.” Putting something off always made him feel better. Surely, it wouldn’t come back to bite him anytime soon.

But now, Daine was paying for putting things off. He’d decided to spend the night at Ydris’ again, so he hadn’t heard any of the texts come in on his phone, having turned it off for the night. He only woke up when Ydris walked into the wagon cursing to himself.

“Huh?” Daine murmured sleepily, raising his head. His hair was all over the place, he could feel it.

“Oh, you’re still here,” said Ydris, turning to face the man in his bed. “Stay there, everything’s fine.”

“People generally only say that when everything’s not fine,” said Daine, sitting up and starting to search for his clothes. “What time is it?” Stupid question, there were no clocks in here because they gave Ydris the worst headache. Ydris also kept them away when he was training Daine in his powers, saying that the presence of clocks would weaken their magic. It was also why they only ever trained on the highland, because Ydris had explained earlier that he had a little pocket of Pandoria here to keep himself and Xin and Zee safe. Maybe that was the real reason why Daine always felt better when he came here.

But any warm feelings went away when Daine located his phone, still in the pocket of his jeans. Several missed calls and messages greeted him when he turned his phone back on. From the druids, from his friends, from Conrad, but mostly from Willow. “ANSWER YOUR FUCKING PHONE” her last message read. Daine’s phone rang again as he held it, and he answered Willow’s call immediately.

“Finally,” said Willow, her voice annoyed. “Where the hell are you? Wait, don’t tell me you’re with him.”

“So what if I am?” said Daine, immediately on the offensive. He knew his ‘sister’ didn’t like his choice of partner, that was nothing new.

“He’s got Concorde,” said Willow. “The group of us came up here with Justin, there was some weird maze thing and we found Concorde at the end and now he’s got a forcefield around his tent so none of us can get in.” Daine froze, his brain not hearing much beyond the first few words. There was a roaring in his ears as he looked up at Ydris, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. He’d never seen the tall Pandorian look so scared before.

“Is it true?” Daine asked, his hand shaking as he held his phone away from his ear.

“Is what true?” Ydris asked. There was an edge to his voice now, one that Daine had never heard before.

“Concorde,” said Daine. “Do you have him?” Ydris’ silence was telling. Daine closed his eyes, trying to breathe deeply, but his chest was too tight. He had to get out of here.

“Daine!” Ydris called after him, but Daine was already out the door and attaching Cloud’s tack to him. He took one glimpse at the forcefield surrounding the big top and took off, noting with relief that Willow was still on the phone.

“Where are you guys?” Daine asked, failing to keep the nervous tremor out of his voice.

“We’re at Big Bonny’s, Evergray has a plan,” said Willow. “Are you okay?”

“No I’m fucking not,” said Daine, hating the tearing sensation in his chest as he tried hard not to look behind him.

“Dad,” said Cloud, trying to soothe his rider. Daine closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. He’d trusted Ydris. And maybe he’d been stupid to. Unless he had a damn good reason for kidnapping a reborn Guardian Horse. Maybe he didn’t know? But surely they’d explained it to him.

Willow filled Daine in on everything that had happened as Daine rode to Big Bonny’s house. About how they’d first gone snooping around, using Justin’s Wild Whisperer powers, about how they’d found Concorde here. How the larger forcefield had pushed them out and ow they’d had to get a potion from Pi to be able to turn the forcefield into a maze. How Ydris had not only told them that he had Concorde but how he’d also said that he intended to destroy Jorvik to make a new Pandoria. By the time Daine dismounted, he was shaking so much that he could barely stand. Willow wrapped her arms around him in a hug, though, which Daine gratefully returned, holding her perhaps a bit too tightly.

“Looks like the gang’s all here,” said Astor. Once Willow had let go of Daine, Astor took her place, rubbing Daine’s back. “It’s going to be okay, Daine. You’ll see.” And now Daine cried, sobbing into his adoptive father’s shoulder.

“Why couldn’t I just fall for someone normal, dad?” Daine asked, looking down at him.

“I ask myself that same question every day,” said Astor. “But don’t worry- you can get your revenge on him now.”

“I don’t want to,” said Daine. “I just… I wish I knew why he did it.”

“He just wanted Concorde to be part of his show,” said Willow. “That’s what he told us.”

“The Fantastic Flying Foal,” said Louisa. “And then he turned us into horses. It hurt so much.” And Daine’s heart stopped. It was so easy to forget, with everything else going on, when he was in Ydris’ arms, that his friend felt every physical pain. The golden horse race that Willow had described must have been excruciating for her.

“Why?” Daine asked.

“For fun,” Willow snapped. “Everything he does is for his own sick, twisted amusement. We’re toys to him, we’re nothing. But it makes sense- he’s Pandorian. Of course humans are nothing to him.” Daine felt like the world swayed under him, but he knew that it hadn’t. Maybe he was destined to become that too. The monster that he’d always known himself to be.

“How can we stop him?” Daine asked. Maybe he could still be good if he stopped Ydris, maybe he wouldn’t become a monster if he tried to be good. He’d been sleeping through that whole thing. Fuck.

“Using this,” said Big Bonny, and plonked down a large, strange contraption on the picnic table outside her home. The mere presence of it sent a shiver up Daine’s spine, making his skin crawl. It wasn’t right, wasn’t natural. Yet none of his other friends seemed to mind too much, except for Jay, who looked ill at the sight of it.

“What is that?” Daine asked, suppressing a shudder and the urge to bare his teeth. He stepped away from it, though.

“A Cosmic Clock,” said Evergray, patting the top of the thing. It did look like a clock, but it had a lot of extra things on it. It looked downright steampunk. “The point of it is to disable a Pandorian’s powers. We’re going to use it to break through the forcefield, and then we can use it to weaken Ydris until he lets Concorde go.”

“You’re going to torture him?” Daine blurted, reeling at the very idea. But maybe he deserved it, after the way he’d used Daine’s friends for entertainment. Maybe he’d used Daine, too. He’d certainly lied to him. If Pandorians weren’t monsters, then why did Ydris enjoy playing with humans so much? Was Daine just a joke to him, just some plaything, a little hobby until, what? He got bored? Ydris meant so much to Daine, and Ydris was using that to his advantage. To have some fun. Now, Daine was glad that he hadn’t decided to get serious with him, keeping it to a strictly friends with benefits arrangement.

“Now, I don’t know the true effects of it on Pandorians,” said Evergray. “But basically, yes. We need Concorde, Daine, and if he won’t hand him over, then…”

“I’ll do it,” said Daine. “For Concorde. I’ve slept through half the day, may as well do something useful.”

“Are you sure?” Astor asked.

“You’re the one who told me to get revenge,” said Daine. 

“You might get hurt,” said Astor, and there was something in his eyes that told Daine that Astor wasn’t talking about the eventual confrontation with Ydris. Did he know?

“Consider that my punishment for sleeping in,” said Daine. “Now, help me get this clock on Cloud.”

Touching the clock sent a bolt of pain through Daine’s hand, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it, instead hefting the clock up with the help of Evergray.

“Good luck,” said Willow, touching Daine’s arm gently. “Don’t fall for his lies.”

“I won’t,” said Daine. “I’ve done that too much lately.”

As he set off for the Highland, Daine felt heavy, and it wasn’t just from the strange power exuded from the clock. Just last night, he’d been so happy, warm in Ydris’ embrace. And now… now Ydris had revealed his intent to destroy the world. What kind of man had Daine fallen for? But he’d give him one last chance to explain himself.

After reaching the tent, though, Daine had to hit the switch that would activate the clock. He dismounted, wanting to speak to Ydris on his own two feet, and hit the switch that Bonny had pointed out to him. Instantly, a loud ringing emanated from the clock, piercing through Daine’s skull and sending him to his knees. Daine hunched over, breathing raggedly, his whole body trembling from the pain of it.

“Dad!” Cloud called, reaching his head down to nuzzle his rider.

Daine clenched his teeth against the pain, every nerve in agony. Fuck, was this what Astor had meant? Was this what the clock would do to Ydris? Or would it be worse since Daine was only half Pandorian?

But he had to get inside. Had to face the man who’d once meant everything to him, and force him to explain himself and give back Concorde. With that resolve, Daine managed to get his feet under him, though he still hung his head until he managed to turn the alarm off. His shoulders sagged, and Daine rubbed at moisture beneath his nose, assuming it was just sweat. His hand came away bloody. Fuck. Raising his head, Daine looked at the tent in front of him, free now of the forcefield. So the clock had worked. Now, he just had to get inside.

Getting inside the tent should have been easy. The tent flap was easy to push aside, the forcefield was gone, there was nothing stopping Daine from entering. And yet, he hesitated, unwilling to nudge Cloud onwards. He could feel himself shaking, though he told himself that it was just out of anger and not from fear.

“He told us that his intention was to give this world one last great show before he destroyed it to make a new Pandoria,” Willow had said. Daine closed his eyes, shuddering at the memory of her words. At how his friends had all backed her up. Maybe she’d been right about Ydris all along. Maybe Ydris was just having fun with Daine, showing him how to perform great feats of magic so that he could be part of the show that would end this world. Part of his freak show.

With that in mind, Daine steeled his nerve, opened his eyes, and asked Cloud to walk onwards. Into the tent, and into the presence of the man who now incited only pain.

“I thought I told you to-“ Ydris began but then, seeing Daine, he stopped. “My phoenix.”

“Don’t call me that,” said Daine, even as it hurt him to say so. “You don’t get to call me that, Ydris. Not after what you did.”

“I did nothing to you, Daniel,” said Ydris, starting towards him. Daine pulled Cloud to a stop and swung out of the saddle, his hand hovering over the alarm switch on the Cosmic Clock.

“You hurt my friends,” said Daine. “And I know you might not care about them, but I do. And you have Concorde. And-“ His voice broke and he had to take a few deep breaths to steady himself before he continued. “Willow said you were going to destroy the world. Is that true?”

“You could live in the new world,” said Ydris. “You are half Pandorian, you’d survive.”

“Yeah, and all of my friends would die,” said Daine. “Didn’t think of that, did you?”

“We could find a way-“ Ydris began, but Daine stopped him with a glare. 

“I don’t believe you,” said Daine. “If Evergray and Astor haven’t found a way for humans to survive in Pandoria yet, I don’t think one Pandorian could manage that. Not when he can’t even manage simple spells sometimes.”

The words hurt, as Daine had known they would. But the look of pain on Ydris’ face faded in a moment, replaced by a cold mask of indifference. Daine braced himself, but the words still stung.

“Fine then,” said Ydris. “Go back to your little friends. Live a lie. Or perhaps you’ll reveal yourself to them and they’ll abandon you. Humans don’t deal well with the strange and unusual, as you well know. They would call you a freak. A monster. I thought that you’d make an excellent addition to my circus freaks, but I see now that I was wrong.”

Daine had expected it to hurt. But instead, anger blazed through him, so hot and fierce that he half-expected to see flames licking his skin. But there were no flames. Not until he slammed his hand down on the alarm.

“No, you fool!” Ydris roared, his skin seeming to ripple as he sunk to his knees with his hands over his ears. He hunched his back, jaw clenched, exactly mirroring Daine’s own posture. Daine panted harshly, the shrill ringing threatening to tear him apart. His body seemed to be in flux, human one second and Pandorian the next.

“Give Concorde back!” Daine yelled at him over the sound of the alarm, the ringing in his ears.

“You’ll never stop him!” Ydris called back, raising his head slightly. His hair clung to his face in sweaty curls, his hat having toppled to the ground from horns that never quite appeared.

“Watch us,” said Daine, and got to his feet on shaky legs. He wondered if the clock’s true power was to cause this state of flux, leaving every bone and muscle in agony. That and his splitting headache, though even that could have been from the horns growing.

Something out of the corner of his eye caught Daine’s attention, though, and he looked to see a scene from his nightmares. For a moment, he froze. He was caught back there, in Pandoria, when those same purple-scaled, enormous tentacles had risen up and tried to capture each and every one of his friends. They’d caught him, and Daine swore that he could feel the tearing sensation of wings being ripped from his back again. His back was killing him enough as it was, had ever since that fateful day. He’d never been able to summon wings again.

“Now you’ve done it,” said Ydris, blood dripping from his nose and ears. It was blue, the same colour as Daine’s blood. Daine hadn’t known that about him. He’d never seen Ydris bleed before. For an instant, he felt guilty. “He’s here.”

“You did this, didn’t you?” said Daine, tearing his eyes away from Garnok for just a moment to look at the injured Pandorian leaning against the centre pole. His back felt so exposed.

“No, that would be you,” said Ydris. “I put up wards here in this little pocket of Pandoria to keep Garnok out. But now, because of that cursed clock, those wards are failing. The world will end, and it will be on your shoulders.”

“Isn’t that what you want?” Daine snapped.

“Not like this!” Ydris snapped back at him. “I don’t want to be in this new world if Garnok is in it. It’s too late for Pandoria, that’s dying.” Daine was surprised to see that Ydris was… crying. “But if you destroy the clock, I can fix it. I promise. I can banish Garnok back to Pandoria.”

“Why should I trust you?” Daine asked, though he very much wanted to destroy that clock too. Or at least shut the alarm off.

“Please,” said Ydris. And he sounded so weak and pathetic that Daine felt part of him soften. Instead, he turned his attention to the clock, pulling his arm back and punching it off of Cloud’s back. But the impact of the ground only made the alarm blare louder. 

As he approached the clock, his hands over his ears, Daine felt like he was drowning again. Only this time, it was in darkness, just like in Pandoria. Every part of him hurt, even his teeth felt loose in his mouth. But that was probably from them sharpening to points and back over and over.

Though his body felt frozen in terror, Daine’s fire abilities came to the surface instantly, much easier thanks to Ydris’ training. Even if the thought of that now hurt more than anything else. Daine brought his fists down, fire eating away at the clock even as he punched through metal. Blood poured from his hands, he felt bones snap from the impact, and yet, the clock still rang. Even louder now, probably thanks to the proximity to a half Pandorian.

One last punch, and silence filled Daine’s world. Or, not silence, exactly. There was a ringing in his ears, but it didn’t come from the clock this time. Daine barely paid attention to anything as he keeled onto his side. The world seemed to grey out, but he saw the tentacles first fade and then disappear altogether. And then there was Ydris, standing over him, worry etched on his face. Until Cloud pushed him away and nosed Daine’s face. 

Colour came back to the world slowly, strength returning to Daine with the clock gone. But his hands still throbbed with pain as he reached up to pet Cloud’s muzzle, and there was still that ringing in his ears. Ydris’ voice was muffled at first, but then Daine shook his head and sound returned to the world.

“Are you alright?” Ydris was asking, eyes wide with concern. Part of Daine wanted to collapse in his arms, sobbing. But a larger part of him knew only anger. How dare he be concerned now? Daine clenched his jaw, unconsciously clenching his hands into fists at the same time. Pain roared up his arms and Daine gasped, shaking now.

In an instant, Ydris’ arms were around him. Daine automatically returned the hug, closing his eyes. When Daine tightened the hug, Ydris relaxed, murmuring soothing words to him. But when Daine opened his eyes, they blazed yellow and purple. He ignited his flame, his body warming from the very core. Ydris didn’t seem to notice the flicker of flame at his back, not at first.

When Ydris began to squirm, Daine only gripped him tighter, heating his body further. He’d never heated it this hot before, never had reason to. It was hurting him, too, sweat breaking out on his forehead, his breath coming a little too raggedly.

“Daine, you’re hurting me,” said Ydris, trying to break free. He gasped in pain as the fire burned through his coat.

“You wanted to watch our world burn, bastard,” said Daine. “How about a taste of your own medicine?”

“Please, I never wanted to hurt you,” said Ydris. Daine ignored him, only burning hotter. He felt almost like a star going supernova. Ydris cried out as his skin began to blister, smoke rising from him as flames licked his neck.

“Any last words?” Daine asked, his voice filled with anger as he finally dared a look at the man he’d once loved. The skin on Ydris’ face was turning shiny pink from burns. And then Ydris’ knees folded, sending them both to the ground on their knees.

“I don’t want you to be alone,” said Ydris, tears hissing against his skin.

Daine froze. What was he doing? If he killed Ydris, he wouldn’t have anyone else to talk to about being Pandorian. Nobody else to give him advice and know exactly what he was going through.

At that moment, the tent flap opened again, saving him, but Daine didn’t turn his head to see who ran in.

“Come on, let’s go,” said Willow, grabbing Daine and pulling him away from Ydris. Daine let himself be dragged for a while, until Ydris disappeared behind the closed tent flap. The last thing he saw was the magician prone on the ground, smoke rising from him. What had he done?


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weeks pass, and Daine finds himself coming back to the circus. Heavily references The Act of Greed.

Weeks passed. They’d gotten Concorde back, yes, Via and Louisa had managed to get the foal’s cage down. Daine didn’t dare ask about Ydris, but nobody mentioned him anyway. That was good. Daine didn’t even go near the circus. He barely left his house, even.

His magic was gone. Ever since he’d burned Ydris, Daine hadn’t been able to summon a flame. Maybe it was because every time he tried, he saw Ydris’ burned face, his teary eyes, the smoke rising from him. Or maybe Daine really had burned himself out. Nobody mentioned his other features, though his hands had been clawed when Louisa had healed them. He hated the pitying looks that he got. He didn’t deserve their pity. He’d been sleeping with the enemy, quite literally.

There was another development, though. At some point, maybe a week after Concorde had been brought home, Jay had gathered his friends together and revealed to them that he was Pandorian. But one from a different region than Daine and Ydris. Rather than scales or any other features, Jay’s Pandorian-ness manifested in the appearance of glowing pink runes over his body. He’d explained that not all Pandorians were like Ydris, that there were some like him that wanted to save Jorvik. Daine had approached Jay immediately afterwards and hugged him, revealing through tears that he was Pandorian too and that he’d thought that he was alone in the world now. Jay had rested a gentle hand on Daine’s shoulder and assured him that he wasn’t alone. And that had felt good.

And then one day, Daine’s traitorous steps took him back to the circus. He froze, staring at the burned face of Ydris. He hated the way his heart leaped at the thought that Ydris was alive after all. That he hadn’t actually killed him.

A few days later saw Daine sneaking into the big top after Ydris. He hoped that he wouldn’t be heard, that Ydris wouldn’t see him. But he must have made a noise of some kind, because Ydris turned to face him, speaking as he did.

“I told you, the circus is-“ Ydris began, but stopped when he saw who it was.

“Hi,” said Daine, his heart pounding. He hoped Ydris wouldn’t hug him or anything. He didn’t think he could stand that.

“It’s you,” said Ydris. Daine nodded, his gaze sliding away from the burn still healing on Ydris’ face.

“I always end up coming back,” said Daine, his voice shaking. “I need you.”

“Tell me what you need, and I’ll give it to you,” said Ydris, approaching him as if Daine were a wild animal. Which was probably not far from the truth, honestly.

“My magic’s been gone since I… burned you,” said Daine, guilt threatening to stay his tongue. “I know I’m probably burned out, but… is there a way you can fix it?”

“I can lend you some of my power for a time, yes,” said Ydris, nodding. “I only need to touch you to transfer it.”

“Alright,” said Daine, holding out his hand. 

“It is faster if…” Ydris trailed off, suddenly almost shy.

“If what?” Daine asked.

“If we kiss,” said Ydris. “And I know, that sounds like I’m just asking for a kiss, but-“

Daine’s lips were on his in an instant, hungry. He backed Ydris against the centre pole, his body instantly falling into the old motions of a kiss that always left him wanting more. For a moment, a kiss was all it was. But then, Daine felt power flooding into him, like water filling a vase. His body warmed up first, but he was careful not to let it reach his fingertips or lips, not wanting to burn Ydris. Wings of pure fire burst from his back, his body changing from human to Pandorian. This felt natural, it felt right. How could he have ever left Ydris, ever doubted him, ever wanted to hurt him?

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” said Ydris once they’d parted for air. Power still thrummed through Daine, making him feel alive for the first time in weeks.

“I should be apologising for that,” said Daine.

“Perhaps I was wrong to want to destroy the world,” said Ydris. “But I was definitely wrong to use you like that. And for that, I will forever be sorry. But thank you for not killing me.”

“My friends know about me now,” said Daine. “They know what I am.”

“And?” Ydris asked, his eyes wide.

“They accept me,” said Daine. “Willow’s a little freaked out but she’ll be okay. I think it’s more the fact that she just found out she’s dating a Pandorian. Like brother, like sister, huh?”

“There is another like us?” Ydris asked, shock making his voice higher.

“Yeah, Jay,” said Daine. “You probably haven’t met him, he tends to avoid you.”

“Oh,” said Ydris.

“I’m sorry I burned you,” said Daine, tears springing to his eyes. “I’ve felt wrecked for weeks without you. I thought I’d killed you.”

“Ah, but I am not so easy to kill,” said Ydris. He looked downright cheeky, and Daine felt a sudden longing for the way things had been before. But it might take a while.

“Please don’t destroy my world,” said Daine. “I know I’d survive in Pandoria but this is my home. My friends and family are here.”

“You would not be happy with me alone?” Ydris asked.

“I swear your ego is the size of this fucking tent,” said Daine. “No, I’d be fucking miserable, Ydris.”

“Then I shall cancel my plans,” said Ydris.

“Why?” Daine asked. “For me?”

“Yes,” said Ydris, nodding. “Because, though I do not know why, I like it better when you are with me. If destroying the world would make you leave, then I will not destroy the world. For you, my phoenix.”

Daine didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. But in the end, he settled for wrapping his arms around Ydris, resting his head on Ydris’ shoulder.

“Thank you,” said Daine. He wondered if it would be a good idea to tell Willow that he’d inadvertently saved the world because Ydris liked him. He probably shouldn’t.


End file.
